UCLA Women's Basketball: U19 FIBA Coach Was Impressed By Bruins On Roster

Can they carry over their summer success into the NCAA season?

UCLA Bruins sophomore guards Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones have been teammates long before they were both getting buckets at Pauley Pavilion. 

The terrific twosome first shared the court in the 2019 Under-16 FIBA Americas Championship, followed by the 2022 Under-18 FIBA Americas Championship ahead of their UCLA debut. In this summer's 2023 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, they helped lead the club to a 69-66 win over Team Spain to capture their third FIBA gold medal together.

Under-19 World Cup Team USA head coach Joni Taylor, who also led them to gold in 2022, explained how their games have already evolved, according to Scott Mammoser of The Next Hoops.

“Londynn is a much better offensive player [than she was even a year ago],” Taylor said. “She has done a much better job of knowing when to facilitate and when to take her shot. She has even become a more accurate 3-point shooter than I remember, and she was really good last year.

“Kiki Rice is explosive with the ball in her hands. I think she has learned how to play without the ball in her hands a lot better. We played her at the point guard last year, and this year, we are playing her off the ball. … What I am most impressed about with Kiki is her defense. That was an area where we challenged her last year, and at UCLA, she was challenged as well. But she is a much better defender. We have been putting her on other teams’ best guards, and I am really proud of her commitment to being a two-way player.”

Rice and Jones helped the Bruins reach the Sweet 16 this past spring. Will this latest international experience help UCLA advance even further this year?